Horseshoe Chamber Blog

This year may see a record number of safety recalls for vehicles, with General Motors recalling 20 million cars in the first six months of 2014. The reason for the recalls stems from the lowered standards for safety recalls; manufacturers have to recall cars with potential defects for liability purposes. Most recently, GM issued a recall for Chevrolet's 2013-2014 Cruze sedans with Takata air bags, which could fail to inflate in the event of a crash. However, the news isn't all bad for car dealers, says one expert. After these recalls are issued, dealerships have the opportunity to make money, says Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst at AutoTrader.com. Although the auto makers cover the cost of repairs resulting from the recall, customers still have to take their cars to a dealer in o...

The housing market has been gaining stability over the past month. According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of previously owned homes increased 4.9% from April to May, for an annual rate of 4.89 million sales. This has been the largest increase in home sales since August 2011, and it also surprised industry experts who had predicted a more gradual gain of 4.75 million sales. Over the past few months, the housing recovery has been lagging. Home prices and mortgage rates rose at the same time, which led to a slow market as potential buyers decided to wait opting in. The news of the recent growth has spurred hope in an industry that has, so far, had to deal with several major blows in a row thanks to the ongoing impact of the Recession. Industry insiders say that buye...

While legislators battle over the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions, Alabama may already have one system in place that meets and exceeds many of the state's healthcare needs. In Alabama, Gov. Bentley and other state lawmakers want to reject the ACA's expansion, creating a hot button topic throughout Alabama. The governor recently referred to the expansion as "a federal government dependency program for the uninsured," who are stuck in the gap between those currently on Medicaid and those who can afford private insurance. However, a Medicaid expansion could result in "30,700 new jobs, [a] $2.1 billion economic boost, plus 500 lives saved every year," according to the state's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Parker Griffith. But there is at least one effective healthcare sys...

Recent news regarding a bus breakdown in Thousand Palms, California, has left many travelers re-thinking whether or not to travel via charter bus. This past Sunday June 15th, a bus owned and run by El Paso Bus Ridebroke down unexpectedly, leaving passengers stranded on the side of the road for nine hours in the blazing California heat. It appears that the breakdown was a result of a transmission problem and was not necessarily something that El Paso Bus Ride could have prevented, but the event now has many people wondering if bus lines should be regulated in order to secure passengers' safety. El Paso neglected to comment when approached by a local news station but Greyhound Lines took advantage of the situation, and Greyhound VP Myron Watkins stated that the company has regulations in ...

Circle Camps, an American non-profit foundation located in both Maine and West Virginia, is offering a unique take on the traditional summer camping experience for children. The foundation, which offers a cost-free, therapeutic camping experience, specializes in helping girls, ages nine to 18, get through the grieving process that comes along with losing a parent. The group, now in its 12th year of service, offers professional help from psychologists and licensed social workers, as well as a dedicated group of camp counselors. Many of the counselors are young women who, after relying on the unique services offered by Circle Camps in their youth, now offer their experience to young women in need. Camping Has Long Been Used to Promote Health Every year, according to data from the Outdoor...

For many businesses, same-day deliveries can seem like a logistical nightmare: your business or company needs to get an important package or document to your client as soon as possible, but the client might be hundreds, even thousands, of miles away. On June 12, the process of same-day deliveries became expedited for many businesses looking to ship between American Airlines Cargo's hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and both Hong Kong (HKG) and Shanghai (PVG), according to a HandyShippingGuide.com article. AA Cargo's same-day service to and from Hong Kong is the first of its kind among U.S.-based airlines, the article reports. Shanghai's airport is the world's third-largest, and AA Cargo's service route to and from the Chinese city marks the third gateway for American a...

Could exercise be actually standing in the way of weight loss and better toning? According to Julia Buckley, a 37-year-old fitness fanatic, it can be. She explains that running, while great for fitness, is not always the ideal activity if someone is looking to primarily lose weight. Her experience has taught her that slow-endurance exercise, rather than toning down the body, teaches it to become endurance-focused. And endurance means storing fat so that you have a continual source of energy during your run. Buckley herself was once training for marathons and wondering why she couldn't stubborn pounds, even as she was running more and more. Trying to solve by running extra ended up making her ill, and she realized that she was approaching her exercise routine the wrong way. "I certain...

The New York Botanical Garden will recreate the world-famous garden of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. The exhibit, entitled "Frida Kahlo's Garden," "will include not only rarely seen paintings by Kahlo but also a recreation of her studio and garden at Casa Azul in the Coyoacán neighborhood of Mexico City, where she lived for many years and where she died in 1954," The New York Times reports. The exhibit is highly anticipated, thanks to Kahlo's penchant for vivid, colorful flowers. "I paint flowers so they will not die," the painter famously said. True to her word, many of her paintings feature brightly-colored roots, tendrils, flowers, cactus fruit, and even watermelon. Over the years, Kahlo's garden and paintings have inspired people all over the world. Bright flowers honor Kahlo's legac...

Over the past century, electricity has rapidly progressed our technology and our economy. But for some Chicago residents, it's causing serious frustration when they receive their energy bills. The City of Chicago and the Citizens Utility Board, a Chicago watchdog activist group, are currently defending several customer complaints against Spark Energy and petitioning the state's electricity regulator to launch an investigation. Spark Energy's consumer complaints stem from the company's variable electricity rates and misleading marketing tactics. In addition to Spark Energy, the City of Chicago said that it has issued subpoenas against six companies that the city suspects of price gouging. Maria Guerra Lapacek, commissioner of business affairs and consumer protection for Chicago, would not...

This week, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. introduced a new line-up of light emitting diode (LED) modules for use in flat LED lighting applications, which will become available later this month. The new product line, called the M-series, is made for troffers and linear luminaires -- the ceiling fixtures that typically house fluorescent lighting and are often found in businesses and other commercial establishments. Samsung showcased their M-series at the LIGHTFAIR International trade show, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from June 3rd through June 5th. The Samsung M-series, according to Bangwon Oh, senior vice president of the strategic marketing team for Samsung's LED Business division, "offers tremendous convenience to LED lighting fixture makers with one of the most reliable and...